Our trip to DCA - OMG!

Well, were home from DCA and it seems all but a dream. Jennifer & I got to the hotel in Lawrence, KS late on Monday evening. Jennifer and Tanner had a delay due to weather in Denver but got to the Kansas City airport in fine shape! We got settled in our room and went to the hospitality area to visit. By the time we were done visiting we both realized that neither of us had eaten anything but snacks all day. So we went hunting for something (anything) at almost 11pm... not much to choose from.

On Tuesday we watched the end of the bitch classes and all the dog classes. Winners Dog & Winners Bitch were littermates bred by Tom & Michele Wrath. Congrats!! After Stud Dog & Brood Bitch it was time to get started dressing for the DCAF Gala and the Top Twenty.

The Gala was nice, kind of quiet, but fine. Then we went up to get Tanner & Bindi for the Top Twenty. By the time we got them down stairs to the crate room they were READY!! It's really strange how they know this is a special event. Mocha did the same thing!

When we finally got to go in the ring Bindi was so buzzed up I had to keep her under extra control, something I almost never have to do! Then back to her crate to wait for her turn... I had a new long dress that I did not practice running in before we went into the ring... Note to self.... practice when wearing a long dress... Tanner was up first and had Queen's, Don't Stop Me Now http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUBwjyhRweQ&feature=related for his music. The crowd went NUTS when he hit his free stacks. What a good boy!!!

Then it was Bindi's turn, her music was Hall & Oats, You Make My Dreams Come True, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Um-w2nfRA&feature=related she was so cranked up she FLEW around the ring! I had to hold up my dress to keep up with her! WOWZER!! She did her free stack well and did a nice swing into another free stack. Good girl. Then I had to get her to go in a straight line for the up and back. She flew! Bindi sometime does not want to hold still to have her teeth looked at... so it was to be for Dr. Doane. What a brat! But we got thru that... Then we did some more free stacks and then around and out of the ring. WOW what a buzzz! Then we did photos, man that seems to take a long time... They don't announce the Top Twenty winner until the dinner the next evening. Then is was time to walk the dog and try to get some sleep, ya right....

Wednesday dawned with much warmer weather than the previous days. Breed judging started at 9:30am. All the dogs have to go in the ring at the start; they then divide us up into groups. Tanner was in the 2nd group of boys and Bindi was in the first group of girls. When we left the ring I took Bindi back to the room so she could rest. I got back down in time to watch Tanner. He was of course a good boy and he made the cut in his group. Then the judge brought in his 3 groups of boys for one more cut and Tanner made that cut too!!

Then it was Bindi's turn. She was MUCH better about her teeth. Good girl! She too made the first cut in her group. Then the judge again brought in his cuts of girls and Bindi made the final cut. Then the judge took a lunch break. Jennifer got some lunch but I did not eat... I did have some of the meat I bought for Bindi if you call that eating...

Now we were down to the final cuts. Tanner & Jennifer were in the front with the boys and Bindi and I in the middle with the girl cut. The judge made another cut (I think) and then got down to the final placements. He first pulled out a liver boy and put him on the other side of the ring, maybe the start of his Award of Merit's? Then he pulled his Winners Dog to go in front of the liver dog.... hmmmmm maybe that is his Best of Opposite and Best of Winners... That means it's going to be a bitch for Best of Breed. Funny how your brain flies! He stopped and looked at the girls again and then pointed to Bindi and said to go to the front of the line. OMG! Bindi always turns it up a notch every time she makes a cut, just like Mocha. So she was on auto pilot by then! I never had to touch her again. She just free stacked and wagged her tail!! Then the judge arraigned the Awards of Merit and then said something like "are you all waiting for something?" I don't remember just what he said... Then he looked at me and said "take them around" OMG!! I told Bindi to walk up and held on and away we went, she floated around the ring... then Rick pointed to us. I though I was going to fall down, I slowed down Bindi and grabbed her. She was sooo silly, lots of kisses! Then the hugs, lots of hugs!!! The brain really goes blank!! I hope there are some photos of us in the ring. Writing this sure helps me to remember what happened. But it really turns into a blur... I do remember LOTS of hugs tho!! Tanner got one of the 6 Awards of Merit. Good boy!!

We did our photos and Jennifer said they looked good. Still floating we went back to room and started working on the Award of Merit frames I do for the winners. Then I got packed up and Jennifer, Bindi & I left for the airport. I had to be in Sacramento to work on Thursday.... So we were going to miss the Awards Dinner... bummer and the announcement of the Top Twenty winner. I asked Jennifer to call and leave me a message on my phone about the Top Twenty so when I landed in Denver to change planes I could find out who won.

When we landed in Denver I turned on the phone, no message... But a few minutes later my phone buzzed that I had a message, it was Jennifer screaming "you did it, you did it, Bindi Sue, Bindi Sue!!!!!!! She WON!!!! Here's Jim hang on..." I just started crying!! The guy sitting next to me asked if I was OK, I said I was fine it was good news, he thought someone must have died... I was just sitting there saying over and over, "I don’t believe it". When I got off the plane I called Mom & Dad, WOWZER. Talk about not needing a plane to get to Sacramento!

So that was our trip to DCA 2009! It’s still hard to believe it happened. This was the shortest DCA I have ever been to. I really did not get to visit much or see that many dogs. That darn work thing…. Whatcha gona do… Bindi was very glad to see Dad at the airport on Sunday night when he came to pick us up. Dad had the last page from the DCA results printed the size of a poster and taped it in the van when he picked me up!! http://www.dcanational.com/2009/spot_check_wednesday.pdf

When we got home Jasper, Tess and Ina were very glad to see me, so I played with them for a bit, Mocha spent the night at Mom & Dad’s so Bindi could sleep with me and then we crashed!